"Start at the beginning", Philippe interrupted, "so that I can put her life into a chronological sequence". That would be Philippe, thought Renee, wanting to arrive at things in an orderly fashion.

Great grandmother Helena was born in 1875 on the island of Karmoy in the town of Visnes. The island, a long and narrow, very rocky strip of land, was situated in the North Sea northwest of the town of Stavanger. Visnes was a copper mining town. The mine had been established by a French mining company and most of the men in the town worked at the mine, including Helena's father and her older brothers.

As a young girl, Helena, along with other girls and women in the growing community were taught how to weave fabric on small looms that were brought by some of the wives of the French engineers that ran the mine. When she was 16 she wanted to go to Bergen to work in one of the factories that produced linen towels and tablecloths and to experience life in the city. She was confident that with her newly acquired weaving skills she could operate one of the larger factory looms. She apparently traveled with another young family that was moving from Visnes to Bergen and would live with them while she worked in the city.

When she was 18, she returned to Visnes at the request of her parents. They were going to emigrate to America and wanted her to go with them. While back at home, however, Helena became re-acquainted with one of the young, single French engineers working at the mine. By the time her parents were ready to leave for America, Helena had fallen in love with the young Frenchman, who was scheduled to return to France. Helena had agreed to marry him and move to France.

Monique remembered that her grandmother was never completely happy with her life away from Norway. She missed the mountains and especially the sea, often singing songs to her young granddaughter about "Gamla Norge", (Old Norway). When Monique would ask her why the songs were always so sad, she would simply reply, "Life is often sad."

Philippe listened intently, then said "In view of your great grandmother's desire to return to Norway, it seems quite fitting that her French granddaughter should marry a Norwegian and move to her beloved Norway to live. Renee nodded quietly.